Want to Fix Education, Healthcare, and Climate Change? Let’s Start with the Money We Spend on Nukes

For Brittanie Van Zant, the possibility of one day dying in a nuclear war is not at the top of her list of worries.

"Gun violence, COVID-19—or even being pulled over by the wrong police officer seems a lot more real to most people I know," says Van Zant, a Black mother of three based in Chicago.

But while the Justice Department recently allocated $1.6 billion toward programs meant to increase public safety in cities like Chicago, the U.S. government is spending $60 billion a year on nuclear weapons–a disparity not lost on Chicagoans like Van Zant.

"While the U.S. spends billions to maintain a system designed to kill everyone on the planet, student loan debt and underfunding in healthcare and education are creating inequities our society can't sustain," she says.

And these inequities are only amplified by what could arguably be considered humanity's most urgent existential threat: the climate emergency. Record-breaking heat waves have brought drought and wildfires to vast swaths of the country. In Chicago, floods have caused billions in damage and threatened water supplies, overwhelmingly striking communities of color.

"Chicagoans don't want to see another Flint," says Van Zant. "But until we can make sure Americans aren't turning their backs on issues they think don't affect them, it's hard for any of us to feel safe."

That's why Van Zant, a fellow with nuclear nonproliferation activist organization Beyond the Bomb, continues to spread the word.

"It's time to get real with the fact that nuclear weapons, the climate crisis, and the injustices they both create are all connected," says Van Zant. "Some politicians say we can't find the budget to fix these problems? Well, here's an idea—try starting with just half the money we spend on nukes."

Видео Want to Fix Education, Healthcare, and Climate Change? Let’s Start with the Money We Spend on Nukes канала Outrider Foundation